"Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance." This is Jude's opening. Most letters say "Grace and peace," but I think Jude wants to remind the church that the grace of God is wholly undeserved. Grace is the positive aspect of salvation--a free gift. Mercy reminds us that we deserved God's wrath and were forgiven instead.
Mercy is used often in this small book. Have you ever noticed that in the church there are some who lean more towards justice, fairness, getting what you deserve, and then those who want to empathize, forgive, encourage? More about personality and past experience that about what the Bible says. I believe Jude is more of the second nature. Mercy is on his mind and heart.
That's why it's all the more impressive that he doesn't extend mercy towards the false teachers. No mercy for them. They are distorting the gospel, making untrue what is true, demeaning Christ's work on the cross and making it useless. Jude was there once. When Jesus was alive he and his mother and brothers went to get Jesus and bring him home, thinking him a little crazy. It wasn't until after his death and resurrection that Jude was saved. So he values the mercy that was shown to him, but knows that mercy should be directed towards fellow believers, not towards the false teachers.
I know my follower will have wonderful things to say about this--Iapologize for not saying more.
2 comments:
Yeah! I like the empathize, forgive, encourage type. "Mercy, peace and love" kinda sounds like an idealistic hippie package, but it's not just idealistic. It's true. Because it's God. My Bible has the note: "God's mercy to undeserving sinners and the peace that results are grounded in His love manifested in Jesus Christ."
I've been having a hard time resting sure in these simple truths about God: that he is merciful, that he brings peace. But one thing I can't ever escape is that God loves me. That's something that I can't help but just *know* despite whatever tangent or twisted spiral my heart has gone down. I'm glad Jude includes God's love here. It really can't be stressed enough.
And I don't know if this is the best forum for this, but I'll let you know, mom, that I am still stretching and morphing in my faith, as was happening this past summer. It's a really weird, confusing process, but I have not lost sight of God. He is always apparent in my life, but a lot of the ways that I have dressed up my faith and a lot of the "truths" I've clung to before are the things I am gradually stripping myself of. Sometimes the stripping makes me feel like I am throwing myself to the dogs, but over time, it brings me solace... because it brings me to a truer, cleaner faith without contingencies and expectations. College is a weird liminal stage in which all of this just seems appropriate, but I don't want you to be concerned. Trust that God is working things out for the Good in my life. And I'll tell you this blog helps a lot and the way you love me helps a lot, even when it hurts. You're the best kind of mom I could have had. I love you.
thanks, Katie. it hurts sometimes to watch you struggle but i know you have to do it on your own.
just make sure that when the stripping happens that you don't toss off a few things that need to remain, even if they're uncomfortable. stay biblical.
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